Followup on activity at NYC Bethel

startingover

I posted something a few days ago on friends regarding printing still being done in NYC. I have some new info and am putting it under scandals because it doesn't move so fast.

I have family members that just returned from a trip to NYC. They did the tours in Brooklyn, Walkill and Patterson. I asked about what was going on in Brooklyn. I was told that there is no printing whatsoever there anymore, everything moved to Walkill. 1500 were sent home. The buildings are standing mostly empty, with some small stuff going on, like an upholstery shop. I was also told that the new press in Walkill takes many less to run it. I was told only 2 people but I find that hard to believe so I am going to get more details on that. And they now buy their ink, no longer making it.

I was also told there is no more farm activites, except for meat. They now buy all the food (except meat) that they use.

I am going to ask about the new high rise they are planning in Brooklyn with housing for 1000. Seems a little wierd that they would be building that considering what I was told. I'll post it when I find out.

serendipity

Hi startingover,

Thanks for the info!

Check_Your_Premises

Thanks for the info.

Like all totalitarian systems, information is limited and it is hard to know what is going on in the inner workings of the leadership.

We are kind of like the Kremlinologists who would try to decipher the internal political dynamics of the Kremlin by analyzing the signficance of which politburo member was sitting next to the Premier. We will speculate and be incorrect many times, but any info we can obtain will help us to paint a clearer picture.

CYP

serendipity

Has anyone speculated that after the DUMBO project is built, they'll move the remaining Bethelites to the new buildings and then sell the old buildings?

blondie

Thanks for the info...no more printing in Brooklyn. Maybe they're preparing for Armageddon. 911 was too close for comfort. They bought property in the country during WW2 in anticipation of the war escalating. They ended up using the property for the first school of Gilead.

Maybe it is as some have said, that the WTS is going to build this property as a residence building and then sell it off as condos. I wonder what effect 1500 Bethelites moving out of NYC has had on the local congregations? Fewer or none attending now?

Blondie

james_woods

Here is a cynical suggestion on what to do with all the empty buildings - remodel them into nursing care facilities, and then get all the aged publishers to sign over whatever they have and keep them there under lock and key.

No - wait...that would entail actually GIVING VALUE back to your contributors. Better to just take their cookies and run like before.

PS - I visited Walkill way back in 1972 along with Brooklyn B. They had just bought all the Squibb pharmecutical bldgs and one of my friends at Bethel had a full time job stripping out these empty bldgs and repainting them. As for the farm, I had the distinct impression that even then it was more for show that actual food production. Some were heard to make the joke that like the former Soviet Union we must have needed a showplace collective farm to impress visitors.

observador

I can't confirm the info above, but it is consistent with the article on the Dec 1, 2005 Watchtower.
The article is titled "A proof of love, faith and obedience". Unfortunately, I don't have it in English.
The article discuss the "dedication" of the new facilities in Wallkill, NY. In the middle of the article, there is this question: "But why was the factory moved from Brooklyn to Wallkill?". You won't believe the answer to that question: basically "simplification". Here's what it says (and I translate):
"The main reason was to simplify the printing and expedition of the publications by centralizing operations in just one place".
The other reason, they say, was that the 2 new printers were too big to install in Brooklyn. I don't buy it, though.
It would be nice if someone who have the mags in English could put the scans up somewhere for folks here to analyse them.

Observador.

daniel-p

I can confirm - it only takes 2 persons to keep the new presses running. It is quite impressive when you see it with your own eyes.

ALSO - I have heard from unnamable sources that there was a further announcement last Monday about laying off... er excuse me, sending more Bethelites home.

About Wallkill and Brooklyn though, inner cities are quickly becoming much more in volved in infill development such as the Society's property in DUMBO. They have won this battle, but they will face further opposition in the decades to come. I believe this whole project is just a very shrewd real estate venture. Mark my words, they will eventually leave Brooklyn entirely. It seems that they have several phases of pulling out of Brooklyn:

1. Move printery process to Walkill with its associated personell.
2. Begin DUMBO project.
3. Sell off smaller properties around Columbia/Brooklyn Heights, etc.
4. Divide Brooklyn Personell into three parts: A) Send home the kids. B) Send working personell to Wallkill. C) Keep the retirees in Brooklyn in the Jay Street building until numbers go down, then pull out entirely.

startingover

daniel-p

I used to work on a web offset press years ago and it took a bare minimum of 4, 2 to run the press, one to load the paper, and one or more to take the printed material off the end. How do they just do it with 2?

It seems to be all this free labor ended up costing them money as has been speculated before.

I am of the opinion as Blondie said that 911 scared them.

daniel-p

"I used to work on a web offset press years ago and it took a bare minimum of 4, 2 to run the press, one to load the paper, and one or more to take the printed material off the end. How do they just do it with 2?"

From how I understood it, most of the "running of the press" is automated. I may be wrong, but that is just what I saw when I was there.
http://www.manroland.com/PROD/prod1_01_03.htm

Followup on activity at NYC Bethel

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